Giovanni Pernice has embarked on a new career path after being dropped from Strictly Come Dancing amid allegations over his behaviour – which he has denied. From a new tour to the disappearance of his product, the Mirror looks at how the star now makes his money
Without his regular earnings from Strictly Come Dancing this season, Giovanni Pernice has been forced to focus his efforts elsewhere.
The professional dancer, 34, has had to rely on his other money-making streams after being sacked from the BBC dancing competition. However Gio has suffered yet another blow to his career, with one of his revenue avenues coming off the market.
His unisex fragrance, Vita, is now unavailable to shoppers, with its official website, hosted by Shopify, reading: “Sorry, this store is currently unavailable.” Meanwhile the official Instagram account used to promote the scent has also been deleted from the Meta platform.
Official documents filed to Companies House for GP Vita Ltd had four directors when it was launched on June 6, 2023. But today, only one director, Giovanni, remains active with the company, after two resigned earlier this month, and one also terminated their appointment on December 15, 2023.
It comes after the Italian pro was axed by BBC bosses for Strictly’s 20th anniversary series following allegations of inappropriate behaviour, made by his 2023 dancing partner Amanda Abbington. The Sherlock star claims she was diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder after Giovanni’s ‘militant training regime’.
Giovanni has strenuously denied all allegations made against him and claims that the ongoing BBC investigation into the allegations will clear his name. Earlier this year, when it was confirmed he had stepped away from the show, a source said he was pursuing other career goals.
“Gio feels the scrutiny on him has become too much, and now is the time to make a fresh start,” the source told The Sun. “He wants to focus on other TV projects, and feels he’s achieved all he can on Strictly, having won the trophy back in 2021 and reaching the final an unprecedented four times.”
They added: “He remains adamant he’s done nothing wrong other than being a hard taskmaster, but knows his style of training isn’t to everyone’s liking – especially in this day and age. He has a lot of other exciting projects in the pipeline right now, and he’s just super excited to get cracking on them. This, now, is his priority.”
The star was rumoured to be eyeing up a place in the jungle on ITV’s I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! with bosses reportedly willing to pay him a very tempting offer. A TV source told the Mail: “With I’m A Celeb round the corner, Giovanni would be a dream signing for producers, especially now he’s looking for new opportunities and a way to hopefully show audiences he’s a good guy.”
But he might not be leaving the BBC for good, as bosses are reportedly considering another commission of his popular travel series with Strictly co-star Anton Du Beke. Giovanni has also made it to the big screen after making his film debut in July in the heartwarming fantasy remake of Man & Witch, which has been highly reviewed.
He stars as Master of the Dance, allowing him to show off his fancy footwork alongside his acting skills, starring with Back to the Future star Christopher Lloyd and Lord of the Ring’s Sean Astin. And it has also emerged that Giovanni had signed up for the Italian version of Strictly Come Dancing.
Despite the allegations he’s facing from Amanda, sources close to Giovanni insist he’s having a “great” time on the Italian version. His pal reportedly told the Daily Mail: “He is so excited that he can keep on dancing and what makes it all the more lovely is that it will be in his home country. [The past few months have been] absolutely horrendous for Gio. He has been stuck in limbo. This will be a lovely boost for him.”
He is said to be hopeful that he and his celebrity partner Bianca Guaccero will dance all the way to the final of Ballando con le Stelle (Dancing With The Stars). Sources claimed the dancer and Bianca want to do their best and are “getting along great in training.”
Gio is also set to rake in the cash after announcing a massive 78-date tour around the UK and Ireland. Confirming the news just days ago, he captioned an Instagram post saying: “You know where to find me!!”
Away from the cameras, the dancer also set up two new companies, suggesting he is about to venture into the classroom. Following in the footsteps of other performers such as Kevin Clifton, who has his own dance school, in April the Ballroom champ filed Rock You Productions Ltd at Companies House, which relates to the ‘operation of arts facilities’. The so-called school is in partnership with Paul Irving, who has produced Gio’s tours.
Paul is also the founder of The Strictly Foundation, which was set up to ‘raise funds to place talented youth in stage schools and arts training courses’. Meanwhile, Giovanni’s second company, registered this month on Companies House, is named GP Ballando, which is listed as ‘cultural education’.
It’s not the first time he has deviated away from the stage, as last year, Giovanni set up a cosmetics range, GP Vita, which sold fragrances for men and women. However its unisex perfume has now mysteriously disappeared. Announcing the launch on Instagram, he said the business was a ‘dream come true’.
He added: “VITA is my new fragrance for men and women – an intoxicating scent that captures the sensuality, vitality and energy of Sicily.” Following the allegations made by Amanda Abbington, the dancer issued a statement “rejecting any suggestion of abusive or threatening behaviour” via his Instagram account.
His message read: “To my dear fans, You will be as surprised as I am that allegations have been made about my dance teaching methods in the media this week. Of course, I reject any suggestion of abusive or threatening behaviour, and I look forward to clearing my name. Those who have followed my journey on Strictly Come Dancing over the last decade will know that I am passionate and competitive.
“No one is more ambitious for my dance partners than me. I have always striven to help them be the very best dancers they can be. This has always come from a place of love and wanting to win – for me and my dance partners. Thank you all once again for your continued love and support! Giovanni.”
